Editorial: The Road to Recovery

By Robert NieminenAs we were in the midst of closing last month’s issue, the effects of Hurricane Katrina literally could be seen outside my window. Life will get back to normal, and it will do so because of the efforts of all those who reach out to our neighbors in need and help them rebuild that which was lost.

By Eric Woodroof, Ph.D., CEM, CRM

As we were in the midst of closing last month's issue, the effects of Hurricane Katrina literally could be seen outside my window. Having formed just off the Atlantic coast of South Florida where I live, Katrina brushed by Palm Beach County and took 11 lives as it crossed the state. We all expected it to lose strength and hopefully dissipate before it reached the Gulf. Now, as the recovery effort takes place, I realize how lucky we are to have been spared the devastation seen on the Gulf Coast.

It's difficult to comprehend how life will ever get back to normal for survivors. It will, though "normal" may take on a different meaning. But as it did after Hurricanes Andrew, Charley, Floyd and Jean, et. al., life will get back to normal, and it will do so because of the efforts of all those who reach out to our neighbors in need and help them rebuild that which was lost. I believe the A&D community will play a vital role in that recovery, and I was proud to discover our industry had already stepped up to the plate as I began searching for news related to the disaster. As reported in this month's Noteworthy section, several professional organizations are organizing relief and recovery efforts:

The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) is pledging $25,000 to the American Red Cross' relief effort and launching a comprehensive resource page on its Web site.

Architecture for Humanity is appealing for donations to support the work of locally-based architects in rebuilding homes and communities in the region's hardest hit areas.

The International Interior Design Association (IIDA) and the IIDA Foundation are establishing a fund supporting hurricane relief and rebuilding efforts.

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is calling for volunteers to assist in the disaster-recovery effort and planning a resource matching system from its Web site.

While the road to recovery will be long in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi, the healing process might be getting shorter for healthcare patients in the future, thanks to the pioneering work of firms like HMC Architects, the subject of this month's cover story, that are forging their way through virtually uncharted territory in the greening of hospitals. "The process is so new in the [health] field that the [U.S.] Green Building Council is just working on its Green Guide for Healthcare, a set of sustainable design application guidelines that will ramp up efforts for LEED certification in public, private and notfor- profit healthcare sectors," says Eric Shamp, HMC Architects' sustainable design coordinator.

Despite the limitations, HMC and firms like Young + Wright Architects (whose sustainable design of the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College appears as this issue's featured project) are greening healthcare environments because they know what's good for the patient is also good for the hospital administrator. For example, HMC's director of interior design Pam Maynard points out that "studies show patients improve at a quicker rate when we incorporate more natural lighting in their rooms." Meanwhile, lighting can account for up to 30 percent of a hospital's energy costs, and eight percent of the facility's total operating budget. Given the medical, economic and environmental benefits, incorporating daylighting into the design becomes a no brainer.

"I find it quite interesting that when we incorporate the green principles of architecture, which is actually intelligent design, we're not only benefiting the planet as far as the materials, or providing cost savings for facilities managers; we're also giving an advantage to each individual patient, both psychologically and physiologically," Maynard notes.

Fortunately, the design industry is beginning to see the light. Earlier this year, when a group of 500 interior designers attending the ASID's leadership conference in Vancouver, BC, were asked to identify trends and issues they felt were most likely to exert the greatest challenge on how design is practiced, sustainability and the health of indoor environments were among the items that topped the list. According to ASID president elect, Robert Wright, "In the not too distant future, sustainability will no longer be a sub-specialty within interior design but an integral part of how all interiors are designed." As a design community, let's make sure that future isn't too distant.

Visit our website today to learn about the design flexibility of a Morton building and the endless possibilities of partnering with our designBUILD team.

Wood construction is both cost and energy efficient. Check out Morton Buildings and our designBUILD team online today to discover all the benefits of post-frame construction.

When choosing a metal-clad building for your next construction project, consider Morton Buildings, Inc., and their designBUILD team, we’ll make your dream a reality.

The BUILDINGS brand serves commercial building owners and facilities management professionals for commercial real estate. BUILDINGS brand offers its audience of commercial building owners and facilities management professionals information on the development, construction, modernization, management and operations of commercial buildings as well as the products and services needed to support such commercial buildings and facilities management. With the information we offer, we help facilities management professionals make smarter decisions for commercial buildings.

BUILDINGS delivers relevant and timely information that equips commercial building owners and facilities management professionals with the knowledge and support they need to solve critical issues; energy management, lowering operating costs, new products for commercial buildings, security, and much more.

In addition to content, BUILDINGS features a comprehensive list of products and services and is your link to the companies that provide these valuable facilities management and commercial buildings resources.

You also have the opportunity to maintain your commercial buildings certifications with BUILDINGS. Continuing Education Units are available with approved content from BOMI.